The survey shows that the dilemma between moral/ethical versus utilitarian arguments divides the European public. Of these two positions Europeans lean towards the utilitarian view; the possible benefits for health and the alleviation of disease tend to outweigh possible moral objections.

The Eurobarometer “Europeans and biotechnology in 2005” shows that most Europeans are in favour of medical applications of biotechnology when there are clear benefits for human health and industrial applications, but they are still mostly sceptical about agricultural applications.

The survey examines issues such as

• optimism about the contribution of technology, including biotechnology, to our way of life. Here, the survey shows that optimism about biotechnology has increased since 1999, after a period of decline (52% say it will improve their life)
• the development of nanotechnology, pharmacogenetics (analysing a person’s genetic code in order to create drugs which are tailored to him/her and are therefore more effective) and gene therapy, all three of which are generally perceived as useful to society and morally acceptable.
• GM food, where a majority of Europeans (58%) think it should not be encouraged
• industrial technologies, such as biofuels, bioplastics (plastics manufactured from crop plants) and biopharming (the use of genetically modified plants in the production of medicines and pharmaceutical products) for pharmaceuticals, which are widely supported
• stem cell research, where there is considerable support across Europe, if tightly regulated. There is approval for use of both stem cells derived from umbilical cords (65%) and embryonic stem cells (59%), with 26% of people saying they do not approve of embryonic stem cell research at all or only under very special circumstances
• use of personal genetic data, with 58% of participants indicating they would allow their genetic data to be banked for research purposes, though there are differing levels of support for genetic data banks across the EU
• trust in the players involved in biotechnology, which shows growing levels of trust in university and industry scientists (73% and 64%). The EU is seen as more trustworthy than national governments on issues of regulating biotechnology (74% compared with 68%) 
• attitudes compared with the US and Canada, dispelling claims that European public opinion is more technology-adverse than its transatlantic partners.
  

This survey is the latest in a series of such Eurobarometers on biotechnology conducted in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2002 and 2005. The sixth Eurobarometer on Biotechnology 2005 is based on a representative sample of 25 000 respondents, approximately 1 000 in each EU Member State.

Download the full report and read the executive summary